Chinese Government to Close 1,200 Companies to Help Clear Beijing Smog

Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and as China follows its desires to become a leader in clean, renewable energies, it must also look to clean up the air quality of its capital city.Many complain about the heavy smog often found within the city. Smog so thick that sometimes planes can be grounded and trains going to and from the city be delayed due to poor visibility. Obviously the local residents also complain of health concerns, with many being forced to wear face masks to prevent inhalation of the dirty air.Zheng Zaihong…Read more...

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For a long time in China, pollution was a dirty word. Beijing wanted the world to focus on the successes of its economic miracle rather than its significant costs. The smog-choked cities, toxic rivers and residents taking to the streets in protective masks were not the story China wanted told. As a result, there was little or no news in the state-controlled media about its growing environmental crisis.

This may not be a huge revelation for many, but it should be known that the two most populous countries in the world are also the two most polluted countries.
China and India have had their share of blame pointed at them for their uncontrolled pollution levels, but recent times prove even more dire. As their capital cities of Beijing and Mumbai are engulfed in extremely high levels of pollution, world leaders are looking for these two countries to comply with safety standards and cut pollution levels.

The air in New Delhi is more polluted than in Beijing, according to an international report that quantifies pollution levels, confirming findings by experts confounded by the lack of attention to the city’s problem.
The findings by the World Health Organization, released Wednesday, show the cities ranking second through fourth on the list are also in India, in the central Hindi belt, while the most polluted city on the planet turns out to be Peshawar in neighbouring Pakistan.

Beijing (AFP) - Northern China choked under some of the worst smog this year on Monday, with levels in Beijing soaring to 22 times healthy limits, triggering the city's second-highest pollution alert on the eve of global climate change talks.

On Sunday, Beijing issued its highest smog alert of the year, upgrading it from the yellow of the past two days to orange, second only to red. According to local CCTV, heavy smog covered an area of half a million square kilometers around Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, as heavy air pollution hits 31 cities.

In yet another ripped from the movies-screen-esque event, Beijing was brought to a standstill today as a massive Interstellar-like sandstorm covered the Chinese capital in thick blanket of red dust, sparking social media discussions of the end of the world. As RT reports, The China Meteorological Administration issued a yellow sandstorm alert – the third-most serious danger level, which given the images below, makes us wonder just WTF it takes to get to a level 1 sandstorm...

SHANGHAI, China — Shanghai authorities ordered schoolchildren indoors and halted all construction Friday as China’s financial hub suffered one of its worst bouts of air pollution, bringing visibility down to a few dozen meters, delaying flights and obscuring the city’s spectacular skyline.

We could tell readers' that earlier today, just like two weeks ago when Beijing was blanketed by the worst smog on record, the official reading of Beijing air quality moved from "hazardous (at a 24 hour exposure at this level)" to the laughable "Beyond Index" reading (which maybe means Beijing needs a bigger index)...